Your skills alone don’t determine your work performance–it’s also about being in the right physical, mental, and emotional state.

That’s where wellness practices come in. In today’s episode, our guest will share powerful practices for incorporating wellness into the workday.

Meet Kristel Bauer. Kristel is a corporate wellness and performance expert, keynote speaker and TEDx speaker supporting organizations and individuals on their journeys for more happiness and success. She is the author of Work-Life Tango: Finding Happiness, Harmony, and Peak Performance Wherever You Work and host of her global top self-improvement podcast, Live Greatly.

Kristel and I dive into why the traditional work-life balance model no longer works and explore practical tips for blending work with personal fulfillment.

From intentional morning routines to micro-breaks and building trust within your team, Kristel highlights how small, powerful changes can transform how you show up at work daily.

Join the conversation now!

Get FREE mini-episode guides with the big idea from the week’s episode delivered to your inbox when you subscribe to my weekly email.

Conversation Topics

• (00:00) Introduction
• (02:14) Why the work-life balance model is no longer working
• (05:24) The three different components of work-life integration
• (08:23) How you start your day matters more than you think
• (13:53) Micro breaks and rituals make a big impact
• (20:30) Are unscheduled mid-day breaks acceptable for remote workers?
• (23:49) The most important wellness habit for you and your team
• (25:53) A great manager Kristel has worked for
• (28:37) Keep up with Kristel
• (29:11) [Extended Episode Only] How to incorporate wellness practices into your team’s culture
• (36:27) [Extended Episode Only] Final tip for practicing work-life harmony

Additional Resources:

- Get the extended episode by Joining The Modern Manager Podcast+ Community for just $15 per month

- Read the full transcript here

- Follow me on Instagram here

- Visit my website for more here

- Upskill your team here

- Subscribe to my YouTube Channel here

Keep up with Kristel Bauer

- Follow Kristel on LinkedIn, Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter

- Listen to Live Greatly podcast here

- Subscribe to her YouTube channel here

FREE Stress Management Checklist

Kristel is providing her Stress Management Checklist for FREE to members of Podcast+.

This PDF includes tips and examples of six approaches Kristel recommends to help you incorporate stress management practices into your life.

To get this guest bonus and many other member benefits, become a member of The Modern Manager Podcast+ Community.

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The Modern Manager is a leadership podcast for rockstar managers who want to create a working environment where people thrive, and great work gets done.

Follow The Modern Manager on your favorite podcast platform so you won’t miss an episode!

Do you struggle with giving your team members more ownership and authority? If you’ve ever wrestled with how to empower your team with confidence, today’s guest will tell you exactly what to do.

Meet Brian Irwin. Brian is an author, speaker, coach, and mentor. He has a history of successfully leading management teams through complex transformations. Brian considers himself a "strategic simplifier" and has a passion for bringing humanity back into the workplace. He is also a recovering '80s hair band guitarist.

In this week’s episode, Brian reveals his framework for unlocking hidden potential in every team member. His approach revolves around simple, effective tools that empower employees by defining decision-making authority, mapping team competencies, and identifying the hidden costs that hinder productivity.

Join the conversation now and learn how to maximize your team’s impact through smarter yet simpler delegation tactics!

Get FREE mini-episode guides with the big idea from the week’s episode delivered to your inbox when you subscribe to my weekly email.

Conversation Topics

• (00:00) Introduction
• (02:02) People should be led, and work should be managed
• (03:30) What’s stopping managers from empowering their teams
• (06:54) Empower your team using the Delegation Tool
• (11:57) The Internal-External Strategic Action Plan explained
• (17:03) Why alignment isn’t achievable with automation
• (19:56) Mastering delegation using a skill competency grid
• (25:27) A great manager Brian has worked for
• (27:29) Keep up with Brian
• (28:22) [Extended Episode Only] Hidden costs that are holding your team back
• (33:26) [Extended Episode Only] Benefits of engaging employees in organizational change

Additional Resources:

- Get the extended episode by Joining The Modern Manager Podcast+ Community for just $15 per month

- Read the full transcript here

- Follow me on Instagram here

- Visit my website for more here

- Upskill your team here

- Subscribe to my YouTube Channel here

Keep up with Brian Irwin

- Follow Brian on LinkedIn here

- Download his book here

- Visit his official website for more information here

FREE Hidden Cost Assessment Engagement

Brian is offering one member of Podcast+ a hidden costs assessment, usually priced at $10,000. Brian will interview your team members and produce a custom report that includes quotes and a breakout of hidden costs by category. Prior engagements have identified an average of $50,000 per person in hidden costs identified!

To get this guest bonus and many other member benefits, become a member of The Modern Manager Podcast+ Community.

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The Modern Manager is a leadership podcast for rockstar managers who want to create a working environment where people thrive, and great work gets done.

Follow The Modern Manager on your favorite podcast platform so you won’t miss an episode!

Have you read your company handbook? As a manager, a simple decision at work could land you in hot water, so reading your company handbook is essential, especially for new managers.

You must know not only how to lead effectively but also how to lead legally. That’s where our workplace legal expert comes in.

Meet Peter Rahbar. Peter is a workplace legal expert who guides clients through the most important decisions of their professional lives. After almost twenty years of representing major international corporate clients in high-profile matters, including over a decade as the chief employment attorney for a major global media company, Peter founded The Rahbar Group, a boutique employment law practice based in New York City.

Peter specializes in representing individuals, including C-Suite executives, media personalities, and other professionals working in finance, media, sports, real estate, fashion, and tech.

In this episode, Peter shares essential legal tips for managers: understanding company policies, maintaining professional boundaries, and handling complaints properly.

He discusses why managers should avoid treating their teams like a family, how to respond to health disclosures and accommodations, and more.

Join the conversation now!

Get FREE mini-episode guides with the big idea from the week’s episode delivered to your inbox when you subscribe to my weekly email.

Conversation Topics

• (00:00) Introduction
• (05:05) What does every new manager need to know
• (04:32) Common pitfalls that managers usually fall into
• (08:01) How to support company policies, even when you disagree
• (10:20) Why managers should avoid calling their team a family
• (12:59) What managers can (and can’t) do when a team member requests a medical accommodation
• (21:29) Should managers tell their team when accommodations are made?
• (23:03) A great manager Peter has worked for
• (26:43) Keep up with Peter
• (27:04) [Extended Episode Only] What to do when someone brings a complaint against you
• (32:10) [Extended Episode Only] Adjusting communication styles for different team members

Additional Resources:

- Get the extended episode by Joining The Modern Manager Podcast+ Community for just $15 per month

- Read the full transcript here

- Follow me on Instagram here

- Visit my website for more here

- Upskill your team here

- Subscribe to my YouTube Channel here

Keep up with Peter Rahbar

- Connect with Peter on LinkedIn and Instagram

- Visit the Rahbar Group’s official website here

FREE 30-minute Consultation with Peter

Peter is offering a free 30-minute consultation for one member of Podcast+. To enter the drawing, you must be a member and submit your name by Wednesday, November 27th.

To get this guest bonus and many other member benefits, become a member of The Modern Manager Podcast+ Community.

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The Modern Manager is a leadership podcast for rockstar managers who want to create a working environment where people thrive, and great work gets done.

Follow The Modern Manager on your favorite podcast platform so you won’t miss an episode!

How well do you know your team?

It’s not just about knowing each member’s personality; teams have a unique style, too, that shapes how the members collaborate and perform together. That’s where today’s guest comes in.

Meet Christopher Morrison. Christopher is the co-founder of TeamDynamics, a pioneering platform designed to optimize team collaboration by providing actionable insights into team dynamics. With a rich background in top consulting firms like McKinsey and extensive experience in technology startups, Christopher developed TeamDynamics to address the limitations of traditional personality tests.

His innovative framework, grounded in research and practical experiments, focuses on four key dimensions of team interaction to enhance organizational performance and foster successful, collaborative teams.

Today, Christopher explains how TeamDynamics helps leaders enhance collaboration, make better decisions, and improve execution.

Plus, in the extended episode available only to Podcast+ members, he offers practical advice on what to do when your team’s preferences don’t align with your leadership style.

Join the conversation now!

Get FREE mini-episode guides with the big idea from the week’s episode delivered to your inbox when you subscribe to my weekly email.

Conversation Topics

• (00:00) Introduction
• (02:22) What is TeamDynamics and how it works
• (09:44) The four dimensions of TeamDynamics
• (16:11) Can teams exist along a spectrum within each dimension?
• (17:10) Are there better or worse team dynamics?
• (18:18) How TeamDynamics transforms collaboration across various industries
• (22:28) Managers aren’t as influential as you might think
• (25:20) Adapt or shift: knowing when to change your team dynamics for success
• (30:24) A great manager Christopher has worked for
• (31:51) Keep up with Christopher
• (32:30) [Extended Episode Only] What to do when your team’s preferences don’t match with your style
• (36:56) [Extended Episode Only] How structured processes interplay with four different team dynamics
• (40:27) [Extended Episode Only] Bridging the gap between what you want and how your team works

Additional Resources:

- Get the extended episode by Joining The Modern Manager Podcast+ Community for just $15 per month

- Read the full transcript here

- Follow me on Instagram here

- Visit my website for more here

- Upskill your team here

- Subscribe to my YouTube Channel here

Keep up with Christopher Morrison

- Reach out to Christopher at christopher@teamdynamics.io

- Visit TeamDynamics for more information here

10% Off TeamDynamics Pro

Christopher is providing members of Podcast+ 10% Off TeamDynamics Pro. Invite your team to complete the assessment and receive a guide for understanding how modern teams work together, personalized for your team.

To get this guest bonus and many other member benefits, become a member of The Modern Manager Podcast+ Community.

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The Modern Manager is a leadership podcast for rockstar managers who want to create a working environment where people thrive, and great work gets done.

Follow The Modern Manager on your favorite podcast platform so you won’t miss an episode!

Are Gen Zs really difficult to work with?

As more Gen Z employees enter and advance in the workforce, it’s crucial for business leaders to understand this generation’s unique experiences–shaped by remote work, self-directed learning, and the disruptions caused by the pandemic.

So, how should managers lead this new cohort? To help us navigate managing Gen Z and unlock their true potential, I spoke with today’s guest, Madeline Miller.

Madeline is making executive coaching more accessible and inclusive for Gen Z and Millennials through her Dream Career Accelerator coaching program. As a coach, Madeline is known for helping her clients build the strongest career foundation possible by aligning their work and values, increasing visibility and influence through effective communication, and dismantling limiting self-beliefs that lead to perfectionism, people-pleasing, or despondency.

In this episode, Madeline shares practical insights on how managers can step up to support their young team members in developing the skills they need to succeed. From redefining professionalism to fostering ownership and modeling effective communication, this episode is packed with actionable advice you won’t want to miss.

Join the conversation now!

Get FREE mini-episode guides with the big idea from the week’s episode delivered to your inbox when you subscribe to my weekly email.

Conversation Topics

• (00:00) Introduction
• (02:15) The challenges faced by today’s new workforce entrants
• (04:38) How Gen Z is adapting to remote work and self-sufficiency
• (07:00) The importance of setting expectations in today’s remote work environment
• (10:19) What does it mean to be professional?
• (15:12) How managers can foster proactiveness and ownership in their teams
• (18:49) Could your team’s lack of proactivity reflect your leadership style?
• (23:52) Telling your team they’re empowered isn’t enough
• (26:46) The 1st step to empowering Gen Z
• (28:12) A great manager Madeline has worked for
• (29:44) Keep up with Madeline
• (30:25) [Extended Episode Only] How to role model and support your team members in becoming effective communicators.
• (34:04) [Extended Episode Only] Applying the four communication styles in real-life scenarios

Additional Resources:

- Get the extended episode by Joining The Modern Manager Podcast+ Community for just $15 per month

- Read the full transcript here

- Follow me on Instagram here

- Visit my website for more here

- Upskill your team here

- Subscribe to my YouTube Channel here

Keep up with Madeline Miller

- Follow her on Instagram, LinkedIn, and TikTok

- Visit her website for more information here

FREE Communications Style Tutorial and Worksheet

Madeline is providing a Free Communications Style Tutorial and Worksheet. The short video introduces the different communication styles and provides a short exercise you can do to reduce communicating poorly when under pressure.

To get this guest bonus and many other member benefits, become a member of The Modern Manager Podcast+ Community.

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The Modern Manager is a leadership podcast for rockstar managers who want to create a working environment where people thrive, and great work gets done.

Follow The Modern Manager on your favorite podcast platform so you won’t miss an episode!

Have you ever had to fire someone and lost sleep over it?

Firing someone isn’t as easy as saying, “You’re fired!”. If you’ve been through it, you know just how tough it can be–emotions run high, and it’s hard not to feel like you’re the bad guy.

That’s why I sat down with an HR expert to get her best advice on how to fire someone thoughtfully.

Today’s guest is Jackie Koch. Jackie has more than 15 years of experience hiring teams and leading human resources for Fortune 500 companies, startups, and small businesses. She launched People Principles in 2020 where she helps founders scale and lead their teams with HR and recruiting services. She's also the host of the World's Greatest Boss podcast.

In this episode, Jackie and I talk about the dos and don’ts of firing someone from your team. We dive into how to determine if firing is the right decision, and the steps managers should take to prepare for these difficult conversations.

Plus, in the extended episode available to Podcast+ members, Jackie discusses the legal aspects of firing, what to do (and what not to do) to protect yourself and your organization, and how to manage the aftermath with your team.

Join the conversation now!

Get FREE mini-episode guides with the big idea from the week’s episode delivered to your inbox when you subscribe to my weekly email.

Conversation Topics

• (00:00) Introduction
• (02:38) When do you know it’s time to fire someone?
• (05:22) What managers need to do before firing a team member
• (09:34) Why document all your performance discussions
• (14:04) The dos and don’ts of firing
• (21:47) How to nail the toughest firing conversation
• (27:39) A great manager Jackie has worked for
• (28:45) Keep up with Jackie
• (29:15) [Extended Episode Only] The legal aspects of firing: What you need to know
• (32:36) [Extended Episode Only] The one thing to never do when firing someone
• (34:37) [Extended Episode Only] How to manage the aftermath with your team

Additional Resources:

- Get the extended episode by Joining The Modern Manager Podcast+ Community for just $15 per month

- Read the full transcript here

- Follow me on Instagram here

- Visit my website for more here

- Upskill your team here

- Subscribe to my YouTube Channel here

Keep up with Jackie Koch

- Follow Jackie on LinkedIn and Instagram

- Check out her website for more information here

- Subscribe to her podcast, World’s Greatest Boss here

5 Complimentary HR Audits

Jackie is generously offering five free HR audits to members of Podcast+. Normally priced at $249, the HR Audit includes a self-assessment and a 60-minute call with Jackie or her business partner to review everything and talk through suggested changes to implement.

To get this guest bonus and many other member benefits, become a member of The Modern Manager Podcast+ Community.

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The Modern Manager is a leadership podcast for rockstar managers who want to create a working environment where people thrive, and great work gets done.

Follow The Modern Manager on your favorite podcast platform so you won’t miss an episode!

Is disruption always bad, or can it be your greatest asset?

In today’s world of relentless change–where the global talent pool is expanding and advancements in AI and machine learning are accelerating–disruption has become the new normal.

But amidst this chaos, should we seek to disrupt ourselves even more instead of just being disrupted? Today’s guest says yes.

Meet Terence Mauri. Terence is a global expert on the future of leadership, AI, and disruption. As founder of the future trends think tank Hack Future Lab, he helps leaders find the upside of disruption and rethink leadership for a post-AI world. He has been described as “an influential and outspoken expert on the future of leadership” by Thinkers50, the global authority on today’s top business thinkers.

Today, Terence and I discuss why disruption shouldn’t be feared and how we can reframe it as an opportunity rather than a threat.

We’ll also dive into practical strategies for reducing complexity within organizations, how to democratize change, unlocking your inner disruption muscle, and more.

Join the conversation now!

Get FREE mini-episode guides with the big idea from the week’s episode delivered to your inbox when you subscribe to my weekly email.

Conversation Topics

• (00:00) Introduction
• (01:50) Why disruption has a negative connotation
• (05:14) The downside of today’s management style
• (06:53) How to unlock your inner disruption muscle
• (09:12) Are you a complexifier or a simplifier?
• (13:53) The reductionist mindset explained
• (15:24) How to work with team members who are resistant to change
• (19:37) What does it mean to be over-managed yet under-led?
• (21:48) 3 steps to Managing Your Manager (MYM)
• (25:47) A great manager Terence has worked for
• (27:57) Keep up with Terence
• (28:51) [Extended Episode Only] The power of learning to unlearn
• (34:05) [Extended Episode Only] How to help your team members learn to unlearn

Additional Resources:

- Get the extended episode by Joining The Modern Manager Podcast+ Community for just $15 per month

- Read the full transcript here

- Follow me on Instagram here

- Visit my website for more here

- Upskill your team here

- Subscribe to my YouTube Channel here

Keep up with Terence Mauri

- Connect with Terence on LinkedIn, Twitter, and Instagram

- Subscribe to his YouTube channel here

- Grab a copy of his book here

- Visit his official website for more information here

Book Discount: The Upside Of Disruption: The Path To Leading And Thriving in the Unknown

Terence is providing members of Podcast+ with a discount on his book The Upside Of Disruption: The Path To Leading And Thriving in the Unknown. In the book, you'll find the future-ready insights and tools you need to lead for today and prepare your organization for tomorrow.

To get this guest bonus and many other member benefits, become a member of The Modern Manager Podcast+ Community.

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The Modern Manager is a leadership podcast for rockstar managers who want to create a working environment where people thrive, and great work gets done.

Follow The Modern Manager on your favorite podcast platform so you won’t miss an episode!